Cup cake dropping machine



y 1932- E. A. ADAMS CUP CAKE DROPPING MACHINE Filed Oct. 31,1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l W Inventor Attorney July 12, 1932. E. A. ADAMS CUP CAKE DROPPING MACHINE Filed 001;. 31, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 W Inventor.

A ttorney Patented July 12, 1932 UNITED -,1

ERNEST A. or TACOMA, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNQR T MARTIN :nnLLANnor TACOMA, WASHINGTON I one can DuorPrNe MacnINn Application filed October 31,1930. Serial No. 492,566.

My invention pertains to an improvement in a cup cake dropping machine, invented by Martin Helland, of Tacoma, Pierce County,

Washington, for which heon January 18,,

1930, filed an application-for Letters Patent same.

in the United States, the Serial Number being 421,847. It hasbeenfound that the Helland invention has to be operatedat a certain speed and with a carefully adjusted pressure on the dough to secure an equal discharge of dough at each consecutive operation of the rotary valves, and further, should the valves be left open at any time, the dough would waste out through the My invention pertains to improvements in .therotating valves in the Martin Helland invention. The object of my invention is to provide a rotating valve that will re ceive the dough or batter from the dough the finish of filling a cup cake pan; Fig. 6 is container, by means of suction instead of by pressure, and at the same time receive and discharge an equal and uniform quantity of dough at each operation, and when the. ma-

chine is left standing inoperative, the valves will be so closed that no dough will leak out and be wasted through the same.

I attain these objects by. means of the mechanism' illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an external end view of my invention showing the operative mechanism at the finish of filling a setof cup cake pans; Fig. 2 is the same as Fig. 1 showing the operating mechanism at the beginning of filling a set'of cup cake pans; Fig. ,3is a partialv top view of Fig. 1; Fig.4 is a top view of the cylindrical measuring and cutting device detached from Fig. 1 and is practically the same as used in theHelland invention; Fig. is an enlarged verticalsection through-the rotating valve gate and the cylindrical cut ting device on the line5 -5, of'Fig. 3 as at the same as Fig. 5,but atthe finish of 'closing the outlet'after filling a cup cake pan; Fig. 7 shows the rotating valve gate open preparatory to securing another supply of dough for 'fillin'g a cup cake pan; Fig. 8 shows: the rotating valve gate-closed to a point of'rest till the outlet port-is opened 01? discharge of dough into the cup cake pan;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged View of Fig; 1- with' the operating mechanism exposed to view, and

Fig. isa like view of Fig 2. 1V

in the several views.

Similar characters designate similar-parts My invention is designed to be attached" tothecfiat bottom of anyform of a dough container partially shown at 1, the same being supported on a base 2, similar to theI-Ielland invention. improvement comprises an attachable and detachable valve chamber designed with acylindrical opening 4-the full length thereof. One side of the chamber is made segmental and upwardly inclined to anintake opening 5 at the top for eachvalve and with an outlet port 6 at thebottom of each, quite like the same in the Hellandinventiombut with one large opening 5a in the bottom of the dough container l'through which dough is supplied to the group of valve'intakes 5.- The cylindrical opening 4 is designed to receive the, measuring and cutting device 7 to be neatly fitted therein and by a mechanism hereinafter described.

' operated with a rotary oscillating movement I My valveimprovement comprisesaswing- I inggate composed of two members 83116.9

hinged together at a central point. The

gate is hung on a hinge rod l'Oat oneside of the valve chamber 3 with its center m nna ment with thetop' ofthe intake opening 5 of eachvalve chamber. Each gate with its members 8 and 9 opened out straightwill' neatly fit its respectiveopeningand will.

neatly contact the segmental side of the i chamber3 as it swings downwardly into-the same,as shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 8; When the gate is swung upward, the dough acting.

thereon, will cause the two members to partly swingtogether-forming 'an elbow shape asseenin Fig.7. p f r It will-be seen the valve chamber'3 is at tachable and detachabletol the dough container 1 by means of side flanges-111 neatly milled to slidablyfit into grooves cast and milled on the bottom of the dough container to receive the same. By this-means the valve chamber 3 ca'n bedetached from the container 'now ready for operation.

1 for cleaning and the cutting, device 7 can by referring to the several figures of the;

drawings. On the end shaft 12 of the cylindrlcal cutting device '7 -1s mounted a segmental gear 13 with a supplemental segmental gear 14 intermeshed therewith as Figs. 9 and 10.

shown in Figs. 1 and 2. A hand crank arm 15 'fixed on gear 14: provides a means for rotating the gears to and fro and the cylindrical cutting device 7--therewith. On the adjacent end of the hinge rod 10 is fixed an operative block :16 from which extends a side member 17 fixedthereto. In the end ofthis extending member is pivotally attached a dog 18 and a companionsegmental member 19 with a segmental slot 20 therein. Astud 21 fixed in 'therear side of gear 13 extends through slot 20 and far enough beyond to engage the dog 18, all of which will be seen by referring to Referring to Figs. 1,, 9 and 5, it is to be observed thatthe position shown is atthe finish of filling a set of cup cake pans c-. The discharge port 6 is .op'enand the swinging valve gate composed of the members '8 and 9 is. rotated down. tothe limit in itsjdown ward movement. The required amount of dough has been discharged through the outlet 6 and it is nowin order to reverse the rotating movement preparatory to filling another set of cup cake pans. As the crankhandle is lifted up the gear 13 will be turned to the leftand the cylindrical cutting device 7' with it, thus-closing the port 6 and neatly cutting the dough dropping into the cup cake pans. At the closing of the port 6, the stud 21 after'idling along the segmental slot 2O will-contact with the upper end wall of the slot and lift the double hingedvalve gate to the position shown in Fig.7. The pressure ofthe dough and the'suctionyof the individual valve chamber will cause the valve gate to assume the elbow shape and thus al-. low the dough to suck down around the same and fill the valve chamber.

. The position of the operating mechanism is now as shown in Figs. 2 and 10 and ready for the downward movement to fill another set of cup cake pans. The dognnember 18 has gravitated into engagementwith the stud 21 and with the downward movement of the crank 15, the valve gates willrotatedoiwn' to the position shown in Fig.8 when it will slide out of engagement. ZChe',,portsffi are still closed and the gates will rest atthis point till the stud 21 contacts the. lower end of the1slot 20, when the ports 6. will have beenopened and the stud willnow drawthe valve gates to the first and finished position as shown in Fig. 5, thus pushing out the dough and filling another set of cup cake ans.

It will now be seen that the cylindrical cutting device 7 rotated in unison with the double hinged valve gate as shown and described, will measure and deliver an. exact and uniforinquantity .of dough into each set of cup cake pans. The batter dough is fed into the valve chambers wholly by gravity and suc tion, and tie need of a dough pressing mechanism is eliminated. The valves can be operated at a slow or fast speed and the result as to quantity will always be the same. There is no possibility of'leakage or waste at any hopper or bowl shaped dough container with a flat bottom part is preferred to a rectangul'arform inthe useof my invention. Itis to be noted that the companion segmental gears 13 and 1 1 are designedto. stabilize the machine and prevent toppling. They are particularly essentialin small machines. In large heavy machines, they may be dispensed with and a segmental disk to which thecranl: 15 is attached, for operating the machine,substituted therefor I reserve the right to use either means of operating the machine. V r 1 lt; is to be observed that the individual valves may be varied in size and in number in their application to the dough container. The valve may be enlarged and used singly in filling small cake pans for baking loaf cakes.

My invention asnow shown and described has been tested and .proven to operate perfectly :and the object'desired has been attained. It is a positive improvement over the Holland machine and is more economical and practical in that it eliminatesthe dough pressing part of l1is. invention. It is to be noted that the amount of dough to be discharged at each operation can be va ried and-regulated by th'eadjustable threaded screw stop 22' which screw limits the move ment of the gear 13. p I

The Figs. 9 and 10 are made on a plane of the rear faces of the com panion segmental'gears 13 and 14 and show the mechanism gether near the center to facilitate its operation in the dough. v

2. A cup-cake dropping machine including a valve container attached belowa bot tom discharge port from a dough container, said valve container having a plurality of cylindrical oscillatory valves, therein, means for opening and closing the discharge port being a part of said oscillatory'valves, a dou ble hinged valve gate operated to fill the chambers of said valves and provide the pressure to discharge the dough therefrom, and

mechanical means for operating said valve gate in proper'accord with the opening and closing of the discharge port of said rotary valve o v 3. A cup-cake dropping machine including a valve container made attachable and de-;

tachable below-the bottom discharge port of a dough container, said valve container having a plurality of cylindrical oscillatory valves therein,'means for opening and closing the discharge ports being a part of said oscillatory valves, a double hinged valve gate operated to fill the chambers of said valves and provide a pressure to discharge the dough. therefrom, mechanical means for operating said valve gate in proper accord with the opening and closing of the discharge port of said oscillatory valves, and means for limiting the operation of said mechanical means whereby an exact and uniform quantity will be discharged at each operation of said valves.

4. A cup-cake dropping machine including a valve container attached below the bottom discharge port froma dough container, said valve container having a plurality of cylindrical oscillatory valves therein, means for opening and closing the discharge port being a part of said oscillatory valves, a double hinged valve gate operated to fill the chambers of said oscillatory valves and provide the pressure to discharge the dough there-V from, and means for operating said valve gate in proper accord with the opening and closing the discharge port of said oscillatory valves, said operating means including a toothed member carried by saidopening and closing means, an operating toothed member engaged with the first toothed member, and

means on said valve gate'operatively engaged with said first toothed member. 7

5. In a cup-cake dropping machine, a dough discharging mechanism for the outlet of a dough container comprising a valvecontainer attached below said outlet and having an outlet, chambered valves in said valve container, a combined dough cutter and closure for said valve container outlet,t'a double hinged valve gate for filling the chambers of the valves and providing the pressure for discharging the dough therethrough, a toothed segment on the axis of said cutter, a link on the axis of the valve gate, means on said segment operatively engaged with said link, an.

operating toothed segment engaged with the operating the p cutter, a slotted link on the axis of the valve gate, a pin on said segment engaged in the slot of said link for operating said valve gate, an operating toothed segment engaged with the first segment, and means for operating said second segment.

7. In a cup-cake droppingmachine, a

dough discharging mechanism for the outlet of a dough container comprising a'valve container attached below said outlet and havi ing an outlet, oscillatory chambered valves in'said valve container, a combined dough cutter and closure for the valve 001111311161 outlet, a double hinged valve gate for filling thechambers of the oscillatory valves and v providing the pressure fordischarging the dough therethrough, a toothed segment on the axis of the cutter, a slotted link on the axis of said valve gate, a pin on said segment engaged in the slot of said link for moving the gate in one direction, a notched arm carried by said link for engagement by said pin for moving the valve gate in' the opposite direction, a toothed segment engaged with the first segment for operating the latter,

and means for operating the second segment.

' ERNEST A. ADAMS. 

